Home is Where the Heart Is
by HeartandHome
Summary: Charles has declared war on Jack and Elizabeth's relationship after being rejected. When Jack is shipped off to another station and stops responding to Elizabeth's letters, will she give up everything - her family, her town, her reputation - to be with him? Will Jack let her?
1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth Thatcher wasn't prepared for a proposal. She'd been daydreaming about it since the incident in the mine certainly, but never quite like this. For one thing the diamond glaring up at her was far too big for her chalk-stained fingers. For another, the man kneeling on one knee in his best suit was not wearing the familiar red serge she'd come to associate with any and all thoughts of marriage. Elizabeth cringed as Charles repeated his question, desperate to find a way out of this mess without stepping on any toes. After all, Charles was her father's right-hand man. He managed all of the contracts in Hope Valley, contracts vital to her friends, and she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize business for the area.

"Charles, please stand up," she mumbled.

Elizabeth took a step back as his broad frame invaded her personal space. Charles obviously hadn't gotten the message the last time she was in Hamilton. Yes he'd declared he'd be the one to decide when it was time to stop pursuing her - but this? Charles didn't seem at all perturbed that this whole situation was incredibly inappropriate. Elizabeth had given no indication that such a proposal was desired - in fact she'd gone out of her way to indicate the opposite. Since when did a gentleman just decide to surprise a woman with a ring and a declaration of intent?

And what was more, Charles hadn't even bothered to court her properly. They were childhood friends, that was true, but their friendship was hardly an excuse not to consider her feelings on the matter. Charles didn't care that they hadn't spent the time trying to get to know each other as a potential mate, he didn't care that she was now awkwardly squirming - looking for a ladylike way to deny his advances. Any minute now her suitor, the man who actually considered her feelings and had gone about this process properly, was going to be walking up those school steps. If he found Charles on one knee like this who knows what he would do or worse what he would think. Charles was jeopardizing everything - her job in Hope Valley, the livelihoods of the working men of town, and her newly declared love.

'He knows you're being courted by Jack' she thought angrily, 'this is no coincidence'. Charles was blatantly disregarding the protocol she tried so hard to follow with Jack - despite her body having other thoughts on the matter - and was skipping ahead. It was thoughtless, entitled, and Elizabeth had never thought so poorly of him in all her life.

"Elizabeth you haven't answered my question."

Elizabeth took a deep breath, turning toward her chalkboard.

"I hardly think such an impertinent question deigns a response."

She cringed internally. Those weren't quite the words she had been looking for a moment ago, nor was the tone as sweet. She wanted to let him off with his pride, to protect the town from any possible ramifications, and now that was gone. Charles turned a sickly shade of grayish pink. She'd embarrassed him. Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something else, to soothe the ruffled feathers, but stopped as he snapped the box shut.

"It's hardly the proposal of a mountie I suppose, but it's the best offer _you'll_ ever get."

"How dare you!"

Charles stood, smoothing his clothes with a sense of nonchalance that made Elizabeth's fingers twitch. Had those words really come out of his mouth? She expected he would be hurt, any man would be, but that he thought himself doing her a favor was ludicrous. Even in high society, Elizabeth outranked him. 'Not that that matters' she chided herself.

"Do you think your little adventures have gone unnoticed?" he sneered, "Debasing yourself with the likes of coal miners."

"Hope Valley deals in timber now, not coal" she corrected.

Charles waved away the sound of her teaching voice as if it were a bug buzzing in his ear. Elizabeth had never seen him act this way. He had been brought up with the same social graces she had. Yes, there was some talk about places like Hope Valley lacking the civility that Hamilton did, but to speak as if the people of Hope Valley were dirt under his boots? Where had the charming Charles, the Charles who was always there listening to her adventures, gone? 'Or has this been him all along' she thought absently, 'just hidden, waiting to get his way with me'.

"Timber, coal, it doesn't matter Elizabeth. No gentleman is going to want a wife who has been galavanting off in the wilderness like a pauper. You're lucky I've proposed to you at all."

And that, that mountie. You're the laughingstock of Hamilton. You and he come from two totally different worlds and yet from what we hear you've been accepting his advances. He can't even afford a proper set of tails. How could he afford to keep _you_?"

Elizabeth bristled at his assessment. Keep her? Like she was some object, a prize, to be handed to whichever man had the most cash. Never mind the fact that she was paid by the good people of Hope Valley to teach their children. It wasn't much, and it certainly couldn't buy the pretty things she was used to back home, but it was a wage of her own. She didn't need Jack Thornton to provide for her, she was a teacher, and proud of it.

"Contrary to popular belief I do work hard as the teacher of this town. I've no need to be kept by you or Jack. You do remember the mountie's name - Jack Thornton?"

Elizabeth took up the rag hanging off the side of her board. She'd already wiped the board down, but scrubbing away her fury was a better alternative to the few choice words floating about her mind. Sooner or later Jack would be here, and if Charles had any shred of decency and humility left in his body he would leave.

"Your 'work' is a joke. We all know you're here teaching because you had something to prove to your father. Well it's time to grow up Elizabeth. You've made your point, now it's time to give up this foolish game and come home where you belong."

Charles slammed a fist down on her desk, shaking the bell and sending a few papers scattering. Elizabeth put down the rag slowly and turned to face him. The wild look in his eye made Charles almost unrecognizable. His unreasonably square jaw was clenched and his hands balled up, ready to strike her. The thought of one of those meaty hands making contact with her face turned her to ice. Never in a million years would she have thought him capable of striking a woman, but if the last few minutes had taught her anything it was that she didn't know him at all. 'Jack where are you' she thought desperately. If he didn't come round soon tactfulness would no longer be an option.

"Charles, I think it would be best if you please leave." Elizabeth picked up her fallen papers, shuffling them at random. She couldn't make sense of them if she wanted to, the room had suddenly become very stuffy and cramped.

"The constable will be here any minute and I would hate for him to have to escort you from the building."

She hadn't meant it to come out like a threat, but there it was hanging in the air between them. Charles may have come from good breeding, but Jack was more than just the man she loved. He was above all else, the constable of Hope Valley.

"And what would your father think about that?"

Elizabeth wanted to wipe that self-satisfied smirk off his face. He was right of course, her father would blame Jack no matter what the reason. But she wasn't going to admit that.

"My father would think the man I'm _going_ to marry was protecting me from a man who could never fill his shoes."

From a brief moment Elizabeth had gotten the upper hand. Triumph flashed in her eyes as she took in the flabbergasted man standing before her. It was a lie of course, Jack hadn't proposed, and with the way things had been going who knew if they would ever manage to get to that point. But it was what she wanted and she was sure Jack wouldn't mind her borrowing his name for protection at a time like this. 'Not that he'll ever know' she told herself. If he even got one whiff of this, Jack Thornton would tease her endlessly about it for days on end of that she had no doubt.

"As if you'd ever really marry him," Charles scoffed.

He did however take a few steps back. Well good, let him think about that the next time he wanted to menace her. Women may not have had much power in Hamilton, they may have had only marginally more power here, but being the future wife of a mountie? Why that was a power she could wield. Charles would be stupid to lay a hand on her - not when they both knew Jack would go above and beyond his duty to see Charles pay for whatever he'd done.

"I _am_ going to marry him Charles and he _is_ going to be here. Please don't make this harder."

Elizabeth gestured toward the door, noticing only too late the corner of Jack's shoulder extending beyond the frame. She cringed, replaying the conversation of the last five minutes. How long had he been standing there? Did he see Charles propose? Oh god, did Jack think she was entertaining the proposal? She'd almost worked herself up into a tizzy - and completely forgotten about the very angry man in front of her - until Jack turned around. Laughing eyes met hers, roamed over her, then hardened glancing at Charles. 'If looks could kill' Elizabeth thought idly.

Jack was dressed in his best blue suit, freshly washed, hair combed. Even without the red serge he was imposing, brimming with the rugged confidence that seemed present in all mounties. Charles must have sensed it, because he wheeled around just in time to see Jack striding toward them. Elizabeth didn't know what she was expecting him to do, but she certainly hadn't expected him to slip an arm around her waist. His touch was almost possessive, and she found herself more than a little breathless at the feel of his large hand caressing her hip.

"I believe Elizabeth asked you to leave," he said cooly.

Charles eyed the arm around her waist looking ready to argue until Elizabeth did the unthinkable and slipped her own around Jack. Such a display of affection and possession was unseemly in public, certainly with an audience, but it was obvious that in order to get rid of Charles they would have to stand united. Besides, if she were honest with herself she enjoyed the feel of his body pressed against hers. She was grateful for his even breath, the way he allowed her to turn and tuck herself against him without complaint, absorbing his heat in what was quickly becoming a chilly room. It was hard not to gaze up at him with all the love and adoration he provoked in her until Charles huffed and stormed toward the door.

"You may think you know what you want Elizabeth but you're wrong. You will never marry a Thornton."

He turned toward Jack, eyeing his suit.

"And you sir should pack your bags. You won't be in Hope Valley much longer."


	2. Chapter 2-1

**Author's Note :** Howdy! Just wanted to drop you all a line about my story-update schedule. While my goal is to release a new chapter every Sunday, graduate school sometimes gets in the way of that goal. So expect to occasionally see chapters split up into scenes - they'll be listed as 2.1, 2.2, etc. Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Read on and enjoy!

* * *

Jack didn't let go as Charles stormed out of the building. He didn't let go as the door slammed shut. The truth was he didn't plan to let go until she made him. He grinned down at the tumble of auburn curls tickling his chin. Elizabeth Thornton - the sound of it stirred something in him. More than one something if he were honest with himself. It didn't help the way her fingers were softly stroking his lower back beneath the edge of his jacket. She didn't even realize she was doing it, judging by her steady breathing. He counted the seconds it took for the fingers to twitch, stopping their dance at the edge of his pants. Jack rolled his eyes heavenward, trying to crush the unexpected disappointment.

God willing Elizabeth would one day be his wife - until then he promised himself he would take things as slow as she wanted. He just hadn't expected to want things quite so much. As a mountie he'd had the attention of plenty a young woman. Many were attracted to the uniform, some attracted to him, but he'd never wanted anyone the way he wanted Elizabeth. The ring burned in his front pocket, as if calling to its rightful owner. The same rightful owner who was currently staring up at him with those big doe eyes as if she'd gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Mrs. Thornton, I can't leave you anywhere."

Jack tried to keep a straight face, but it was no use. Saying the name out loud made it all the more real. Suddenly the entire room was brighter, the fall air crisper, and her cheeks were stained the loveliest shade of pink he'd ever seen. Her mouth hung open a little but Elizabeth wasn't able to produce intelligible response. Her embarrassment was so adorable Jack couldn't resist; he cupped one of those cheeks, enjoying the warmth beneath his fingertips, and leaned in for a kiss. He'd intended to be quick about it - knowing she would hate anyone to catch them in the act - but when she stood on her tip-toes pressing her body against his… Well, all thoughts of brevity disappeared from his mind.

"Jack," she murmured, her fingers tangled in the short hair at the base of his neck. He couldn't tell if she was asking him to stop or to continue on, but judging from the way her free hand was roaming underneath his jacket pulling his body closer stopping didn't seem much of an option. Jack shifted her back against the desk, until she found herself perched at the edge. Both hands were tugging at the bottom of his shirt now, pulling it free from his pants until she could dig her fingers into the flesh there.

"You're making it very hard Elizabeth," he whispered, kissing along her jaw line.

What she was making hard he left to the imagination. Frontier life allowed people to be much more candid in their homes, and with their children, when talking about the body and matters of a sexual nature. He wasn't sure how much that sort of thing made it to the big houses of Hamilton. Elizabeth's parents certainly hadn't valued any sort of physical affection that he could see.

Jack on the other hand wanted nothing more than to raise that fine skirt of hers, exposing those knees and settling himself between them. That of course was impossible, any such attempt would be met with shock and apprehension no matter what their current understanding. 'Certainly not something a gentleman would do' he chided himself. Then again there was nothing gentlemanly about the stiffness in his pants. He shifted his lower half away from her as discreetly as he could manage. If he wasn't careful Elizabeth would be in for quite a surprise. He took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of jasmine that seemed to follow her wherever she went.

Elizabeth took several deep breaths as well, her hands slowing in their search for flesh. Good, he thought, pressing his forehead against hers. Logic dictated they needed to take a minute to relax and allow the feeling to pass. One minute turned into two and then three, Jack couldn't get his manhood to behave. He kept his eyes screwed shut until he could take it no more - allowing himself look her over. Her bosom was still heaving, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes (when he tried to look into them) were locked on his member. Oh how he would love to take her to bed this minute. Jack didn't have any remaining doubts in his mind that they would be compatible. He smirked, watching as she traced the length of his appendage with her eyes.

"Eh hem" he cleared his throat, chucking her under the chin gently.


End file.
